Saudi Special Educators' Perceptions of Applied Behavior ...

http://wje.sciedupress.com World Journal of Education Vol. 11, No. 4; 2021

Published by Sciedu Press 18 ISSN 1925-0746 E-ISSN 1925-0754

Saudi Special Educators’ Perceptions of Applied Behavior Analysis for

Students with Autism

Hajar Almutlaq1,*

1College of Education, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

*Correspondence: College of Education, Majmaah University, Majmaah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tel:

966-16-404-4444. E-mail: [email protected]

Received: June 13, 2021 Accepted: August 8, 2021 Online Published: August 18, 2021

doi:10.5430/wje.v11n4p18 URL: https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v11n4p18

Abstract

Students with disabilities, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, are more likely to display problem

behaviors in the classroom for a variety of reasons. Applied Behavior Analysis is one of the most effective practices

for managing such behaviors. This study aims to examine special education teachers’ perspectives of behavior

management strategies such as those of ABA in Saudi Arabia. Five special education teachers teaching students with

autism in Saudi Arabia were interviewed to ascertain their perspectives on behavior management strategies and

Applied Behavior Analysis practices. This qualitative study investigated the challenges they faced coping with

students with autism exhibiting problem behaviors and their understanding of the most common strategies used for

behavior management. Finally, the study discusses the understanding of one of the most effective evidence-based

practices—Applied Behavior Analysis—and the insight it provides into in-service teacher support programs from the

teachers’ perspectives. Implications and directions for future research are provided as well.

Keywords: special education teachers’ perceptions, applied behavior analysis, students with autism, problem

behaviors, behavioral interventions

1. Introduction

Over the past half century, several special education services have emerged for people with disabilities in Saudi

Arabia, and the field of special education is continuing to evolve each year. Yet, few studies focus on this field in

Saudi Arabia, especially in the area of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) strategies among teachers of students

diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Alotaibi, 2015; Haimour & Obaidat, 2013). Current studies

indicate that teachers in Saudi Arabia lack sufficient ABA knowledge due to inadequate training (Alotaibi, 2015;

Haimour & Obaidat, 2013). ABA strategies are widely utilized as behavioral interventions for students with autism

(Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2020; Lindgren & Doobay, 2011). ASD is the broad term for a developmental disorder

that affects cognition, and it often emerges between the ages of 18 months and three years (Speaks, 2021).

1.1 Autism Spectrum Disorder

Among the 13 disability categories defined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (2004),

ASD is reported as one of the most common worldwide. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, it

was considered the third most common disability in the United States in 2013 (NCES, 2016). In Saudi Arabia, it is

considered the fifth most common disability among students in public schools (Alquraini, 2013). In the last decade,

ASD has received national and global recognition in Saudi Arabia. Educators have started to realize the unique

strengths and weaknesses of students with autism. For generations, professionals have struggled to find appropriate

ways to deal with the problem behaviors of students with autism in the classroom. There are many reasons behind

such behaviors, one of them being unpredictable environmental changes. For example, some with autism find it

difficult to transition from one activity to another and from one setting to another within their home, school,

workplace, and community (Hume et al., 2014). Around 25% students struggle with transitions occurring during a

school day (Koyama & Wang, 2011; Sainato et al., 1987). When students struggle, they express their discomfort

through crying, kicking, or hitting. Thus, the transition process may cause students with autism to act inappropriately

during a school day. This makes it hard for special education teachers who teach such students to predict and then



manage their problem behaviors in the classroom, which can disrupt the learning process and put immense pressure

on teachers and peers (Westling, 2010) the disruption is due to teachers and peers paying more attention to these

behaviors.

1.2 Applied Behavior Analysis

Some special education teachers may fail to implement successful behavioral interventions, such as ABA practices.

Kacurovski (2009) found a significant level of unawareness of one of the most important treatment ABA practices

among special education teachers. ABA refers to scientific practices to study the behaviors of humans and animals by

paying careful attention to the social validity of concerns in addressed and related outcomes (Wolf, 1978). These

practices include data collection, observations, development of individualized strategies, and evaluation of the

implemented strategy. ABA supports an individual’s behavior in six different ways: (1) teaching new skills, (2)

increasing appropriate behaviors, (3) maintaining behaviors, (4) changing or replacing responses, (5) decreasing

inappropriate behaviors, and (6) generalizing or transferring behavior from one situation to another (Speaks, 2021).

While previous studies have investigated appropriate practices for students with autism, there is no a single

intervention can work for all such students; even though ABA demonstrates more than three decades of strong

empirical evidence and efficacy in their education (Lindgren & Doobay, 2011). Other studies have shown that ABA

strategies help teachers collect accurate data on their students, which then enables them to design an appropriate

intervention for a target behavior, eventually. Thus, ABA strategies arm teachers with more skills to manage problem

behaviors of students with autism (Gresham et al., 2004). It is possible that the reason special education teachers may

fail to implement ABA strategies (Kacurovski, 2009) is because of the existing gap between research and practice

(Burns & Ysseldyke, 2008); some of them may have heard about ABA but not engaged in it practically in a

professional setting. In addition to a research-to-practice gap, Burns and Ysseldyke (2008) found that teachers lack

support in schools. Special education teachers need adequate support from schools to gain appropriate knowledge

and experiences of different evidence-based practice approaches, including ABA strategies. Most special education

teachers who graduate from colleges or universities receive minimal training in evidence-based approaches to handle

students with autism (The National Research Council, 2001). The researcher predicts an increase in the demand for

teachers who are experts in ABA due to the rising number of public school students being diagnosed with ASD

(Lerman et al., 2004). Training teachers in the principles and procedures of ABA is challenging because such training

involves both academic knowledge of ABA and development of proficiency in actual implementation (Granpeesheh

et al., 2010; Schloss & Smith, 1998). Thus, it is this lack of training and preparation that likely discourages special

education teachers from implementing an ABA strategy (Schloss & Smith, 1998; Khaleel, 2019).

2. Literature Review

The education system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) recently integrated students with disabilities into the

general education setting, setting up special education classrooms in every public school. In other words, teaching

students with disabilities is no longer limited to the special institutions, which are designed mainly to provide

educational services, based on individual disability and needs. Now, the general education classroom in Saudi Arabia

includes approximately 10% students with disabilities. However, around 5% of diagnosed students have not received

appropriate special education services (Alquraini, 2013). It should be noted that Saudi Arabia has passed legislation

similar to the United States’ 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children (Bin Battal, 2016). In the case of United

States, over 10 years later in 1986, 70% of children in the country had still not received appropriate special education

services (Fantuzzo & Atkins, 1992). Similarly, a high percentage of Saudi students qualify for these services, but

they have not received any support due to limited special education resources in the country (Alquraini, 2013). Such

resources may include but not be limited to well-qualified teachers, special curriculum based on individual needs,

and a prepared and effective learning environment.

When students exhibit challenging behaviors in the classroom, it negatively impacts the learning process (Westling,

2010); peers do not get a fair chance to learn, and teachers’ time is taken up trying to manage the challenging

behaviors. All students have the right to receive appropriate education, including students with disabilities; and better

education can be delivered through well-trained teachers. In the United States, as per the No Child Left Behind Act

(2002) and IDEA (2004), special education teachers must be highly qualified. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is now

focusing on teacher qualifications. Special education teachers need appropriate preparation to effectively serve

students exhibiting challenging behaviors. Due to lack of communication between higher education authorities and

the state department of education, many teachers have not received the necessary practical experience, resulting in

schools in Saudi Arabia hiring incompetent special education teachers (Sheaha, 2002); colleges in the country tend to



disseminate a huge amount of academic information with minimum practical experience for aspiring teachers—for

example, three and a half years just to acquire ethical information, but only one semester to gain practical experience

(Majmaah University, 2021). Such a short duration for practice is insufficient to prepare future teachers. Furthermore,

insufficient preparation may lead to job dissatisfaction and other issues, leading to burnout among special education

teachers in Saudi Arabia, forcing them to and quit their special education career (Sheaha, 2002). Other findings

indicate the need for professional development training for special education teachers in Saudi Arabia (Alotaibi,

2015; Haimour & Obaidat, 2013; Westling, 2010). Westling (2010) indicated that such teachers need access to both

pre-service and in-service training, which would likely enhance their skills for addressing challenging behaviors.

Makrygianni, Gena, Katoudi and Galanis (2018) provided meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of different

ABA practices and they reviewed 29 experimental studies from 1987 to 2017 with a total sample of 831 children

who diagnosed with autism. They found that ABA practices were highly effective in improving a variety of abilities

and skills, such as intellectual ability, expressive and receptive language and commination skills (Makrygianni, Gena,

Katoudi & Galanis, 2018). In the Arabic region, a study conducted on Zarqa, Jordan, to assess the significant of ABA

practices from perspective of teachers. The sample included 120 special education teachers in private schools who

teach students with ASD. A statistically significant difference in the result was found in total degrees of importance

of using a variety of ABA practices among the participants due to receiving training previously (Khaleel, 2019). ABA

practices found to be effective in improving students with ASD abilities and skills (Cooper et al., 2020; Khaleel,

2019; Makrygianni et al., 2018).

Teachers and special education teachers (Khaleel, 2019) believe in the importance of data collection, but they may

fail to employ their findings from it in designing appropriate behavior strategies for an individual student (Westling,

2010). The behavior management strategies that special education teachers in Saudi Arabia tend to implement

include punishment and time out (Alotaibi, 2015). However, according to Cooper et al. (2020), to maintain

successful strategies, some negative ones such as punishment should be avoided or employed only as a last resort.

Teachers in Saudi Arabia rarely employ positive behavioral strategies such as positive reinforcement, preferred

activity, prompting, and fading (Alotaibi, 2015; Randazzo, 2011). Special education teachers may be aware of

effective instructional methods such as observing others who are implementing ABA strategies, reviewing case

studies, watching and reflecting on videotapes, listening to lectures, and receiving feedback, and collecting data

(Khaleel, 2019) but they still need a guide and foundation to start with (Alotaibi, 2015; Khaleel, 2019). However,

educators may fail to implement some of ABA practices correctly such as consistently implementing trial-based

instruction teaching (Kodak, Cariveau, LeBlanc, Mahon & Carroll, 2018). Unfortunately, there are few ABA experts

in Saudi Arabia, which impacts implementation of effective behavioral instructional practices (CFAR, 2021).

Moreover, in Saudi Arabia, ABA practices have not yet been officially embedded in the special education system;

they are limited and employed only by a few private clinics such as the Center for Autism Research (CFAR) in

Riyadh (CFAR, 2021).

2.1 Research Purpose

Few studies have examined the strengths and weaknesses of strategies that special education teachers in Saudi Arabia,

who are teaching students with autism, employ to cope with problem student behaviors in the classroom. Therefore,

the present study aims to fill the gap in the literature by examining special education teachers’ perspectives of

behavior management strategies such as those of ABA in Saudi Arabia. To that end, there is a need to develop an

in-depth understanding of such strategies that teachers currently employ to manage students with autism. ABA and

interventions derived from behavioral principles have successfully proved to be effective in supporting students with

autism (Lindgren & Doobay, 2011). Also, ABA strategies help teachers to collect accurate data on their students

leading to develop an appropriate intervention for a target behavior (Gresham et al., 2004).

2.2 Research Questions

Five special education teachers of students with autism in integrated schools and daycare centers participated in

semi-structured interviews. This study addresses the following questions.

1. How do special education teachers in Saudi Arabia who are teaching students with autism in an integrated school

or a daycare center perceive and experience students’ problem behaviors?

2. How do ASD-focused special educators describe other factors that may influence behaviors of students with

autism in the classroom, such as instructions and the classroom structure?

3. How do special education teachers in Saudi Arabia who are teaching students with autism in an integrated school

or a daycare center describe ABA strategies?



4. Do ASD-focused special educators have suggestions that may help special education teachers in Saudi Arabia who

are teaching students with autism in an integrated school or a daycare center improve their behavior management

strategies?

3. Method

3.1 Research Design

A qualitative case study design was used to provide an in-depth understanding and for exploration of a single case

(Creswell & Poth, 2018). One of the features of case study is that its scope is bounded, which means a case can be

defined or described only within certain parameters (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The case study design provides

relevant information to meet the study purpose—this type is called descriptive, used to describe an intervention or

phenomenon occurring in a real-life context (Yin, 2003). With respect to the present research, a qualitative case study

was conducted with an emphasis on the experiences of a specific population of Saudi special education teachers who

teach students with autism in integrated schools and daycare centers and using a case study design was an

appropriate to answer the descriptive research questions (Yin, 2003) in this study. Therefore, this study highlighted

the teachers’ perspectives of behavior management strategies, especially those of ABA. The case study design

allowed establishing a certain boundary of this study. For example, the integrated schools and daycare centers the

researcher chose have model classrooms, which are designed based on certain standards to ensure that they are

appropriate environments to teach students with autism. These classrooms set the boundary of this study, making it

unique.

3.2 Sampling and Participants

The criterion purposeful sampling approach was employed because it involves selecting those cases that meet some

criterion, and it is “useful quality assurance” (Creswell & Poth, 2018)—this approach was employed to identify and

then understand information-rich cases. The design included a certain contextual criterion for the study participants:

(1) special education teachers, (2) currently teach students with autism, (3) have more than three years’ experience,

(4) teach in integrated schools (a public school with autism classrooms), and (5) teach in schools that are in the

center of Saudi Arabia where the majority of schools and professional daycare centers for ASD are located.

This study had five participants working in different schools and daycare centers. Table 1 contains more details about

the participants, who volunteered for a one-on-one interview to describe their experiences. Pseudonyms have been

used to protect their identity.

Table 1. Participant Details

Participants Gender Job Years of experience Workplace/Expertise

Abdual Male Special education

teacher and counselor

7 years and 3 months Integrated school/Behavioral disorder

and ASD

Manar Female Special education

teacher and

home-based services

provider

8 years and 10 months Daycare center/Behavioral disorder and

ASD

Amal Female Special education

teacher

4 years Daycare center/Behavioral disorder and

ASD

Reham Female Special education

teacher and school

principal

3 years and 6 months Daycare center/Behavioral disorder and

ASD

Ahmad Male Special education

teacher

4 years and 2 months Integrated school/Behavioral disorder

and ASD



3.3 Procedure

3.3.1 Ethical Considerations

A consent form and the researcher’s questions were provided to each participant prior to the meeting time, and they

all agreed to participate in this study. They were informed that they had the option of declining to answer or passing

on any of the questions.

3.3.2 Interviews

The participants were asked to meet the researcher for a semi-structured interview session. The questions were

general and abstract, and the participants were informed that they may volunteer additional details. Because the

participants expressed that they were more comfortable with phone interviews, the researcher interviewed them over

call. The average length of the interviews was 46 minutes. Abdual and Manar were interviewed on February 2,

2020—his interview lasted for 52 minutes and hers for 51 minutes. Amal was interviewed on February 10, 2020, and

that interview lasted for 35 minutes. Reham and Ahmad were interviewed on February 13, 2020—her interview

lasted for 45 minutes and his for 35 minutes. The participants were asked to evaluate the performance of their

colleagues. For example, one of the questions was “Tell me more about how your colleagues deal with problem

student behaviors.” They were asked to provide suggestions to raise awareness of ABA strategies among special

education teachers. They provided valuable suggestions, which will inform the development of future studies. All the

interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and then sent to the participants for member checks to ascertain if the

transcripts accurately conveyed their meaning.

4. Data Analysis

The qualitative data was analyzed using inductive analysis, by employing comparison, contrast, aggregating, and

ordering strategies (LeCompte & Preissle, 1993; Shank, 2002). These strategies were used to review and organize the

data to search for themes within, which could then be used to answer the research questions. The different strategies

used based on guidelines set by LeCompte and Preissle (1993) and Shank (2002) directed how to order and analyze

the data to best meet the study purpose. Inductive analysis was carried out to provide specific information needed to

answer the research questions.

First, the researcher typed out the transcript in MS Word for each participant, and then transferred the data to an

Excel document in a way that facilitated a comparison and contrast between the participants’ responses. Then, each

participant’s data was cut and clustered in a different Word document based on segmenting criteria. Each segment

was tied to the respective research question; thus, this study has 13 segments. Once the segmentation was done, the

transcripts were coded line by line and a table created in another Word document. The researcher copied and pasted

the codes in the document while grouping them based on similar content/patterns. Also, the frequency of similar

content within or across participants was recorded. Codes were then compared and contrasted through incident

comparison and theoretical comparison across the data (Shank, 2002) using the Excel document. The major patterns

were then converged into categories. Eight major categories, considered as important variables (Shank, 2002), were

arrived at: (a) Describing Teaching Students with Autism, (b) Describing Problem Behaviors, (c) Other Factors that

Influence Problem Behaviors, (d) Current Management Strategies, (e) Essential Elements for Successful Behavioral

Interventions, (f) ABA, (g) Teacher Support, and (h) Teachers’ Suggestions. Sub-codes were added as necessary to

provide details about each category, such as Preparations, Beliefs, and Environmental Factors. Code examples

provided in Table 2 of the codebook are in the Appendix A. Categories showed the causal relationship and logical

chain of evidence, which helped shed light on the phenomenon. Then, a comparison and contrast of the important

variables, metaphors, and themes across all segments was undertaken to build a comprehensive map of the target

phenomenon (Shank, 2002). After theorizing established linkages and relationships across segments and themes,

linkages and relationships were explained to clarify why these connections exist in this study. The researcher used

theorizing to construct explanations best fitting the data (Morse, 1994).

4.1 Trustworthiness

In the beginning of this study, there was an attempt to establish trustworthiness throughout the study. The researcher

adopted the post-positivist epistemological stance owing to the belief that perfect objectivity cannot be reached fully

but is approachable.

The attempt to ensure an objective study and capture participant perspectives of a specific phenomenon was initiated

prior to implementing the study. Thus, conformability was achieved, with the findings based on participant responses.



Moreover, other qualitative research practices were found to be useful to capture these responses objectively, such as

memo-writing, which was implemented during the data collection and analysis stages. A graduate student assisted to

check the accuracy of transcription, translation, and data analysis. A copy of the transcript was sent for each

participant to ensure accurately conveyed their meaning.

5. Findings and Discussion

The findings of this study answer the research questions in various ways. This section addresses the research

questions consecutively; the original data was translated from Arabic to English by the researcher, as the participants

defined themselves as non-speakers of the English language. From the research questions, four themes emerged—the

teachers’ descriptions of teachers’ experiences with students with autism, teachers’ descriptions of other factors that

may influence such students, teachers’ descriptions of ABA, and teachers’ suggestions.

5.1 Research Question 1: Teachers’ Experiences with Students with Autism

The participants described different experiences when dealing with students with autism. Their experiences were

based on their values, beliefs, and other personal skills. For example, Manar, who has over eight years’ experience

teaching students with autism, gave an example of how beliefs and training may make a difference when teaching

these students:

It’s easy for someone who is well trained to work with these students, and it would definitely be hard for a new

teacher or someone who has no experience. For example, some new teachers have said that these students are

disabled, and no matter how much effort goes into teaching them, it’s not going to help them at all. I believe that we

first need to understand them and then help them. If there is mandatory in-service training for all teachers, it would

be easier for those teaching students with autism.

Amal, who has 4 years’ experience, looked at it from a different angle, saying the teacher’s responsibilities extended

beyond the teaching process:

It is hard, not everyone can teach them. This job needs someone who is honest and dedicated to the work. It is a huge

responsibility to teach these kids; I’m also responsible for taking them to the restroom, as well as feeding and

protecting them. Not everyone can deal with these kids because they are too dependent on the teacher, and the

teacher is responsible for everything.

These findings describing the general process of teaching students with autism from teacher perspectives are

consistent with those of the study by Helps et al. (1999), who discovered the many difficulties teachers face when

teaching students with autism. These include cognitive difficulties similar to what Manar shared, which is that some

teachers believe that “most children with autism are intellectually disabled.” This shows that they believe that there is

no benefit in attempting to teach these students. These findings also reveal communication difficulties between

students and teachers, which are considered one of the typical symptoms students with autism have (Speaks, 2021);

and such difficulties can cause miscommunication between the two parties. This may place teachers under great

stress in trying to figure out what students may need (Westling, 2010).

5.1.1 Describing Problem Behaviors

Teachers face difficulties when they are dealing with problem student behaviors (Westling, 2010). Aggression, hitting,

crying, and screaming were the most common inappropriate behaviors the participants reported. Amal, Reham, and

Ahmad agreed that students usually exhibit problem behaviors because of students’ lack of ability to communicate

and interact with the environment around them. Amal explained some of the inappropriate behaviors students with

autism might display:

I see aggressive behaviors toward themselves or others. It can be a common inappropriate behavior by students with

autism. What are the reasons causing these inappropriate behaviors do you think? I think the kid wants something;

he/she cannot express his/her feelings or needs, and as a result, might exhibit inappropriate behaviors. Can you give

an example? Yes. When the child is hungry or wants to go to the restroom but cannot communicate, he/she starts to

make trouble to get what he/she wants. Often, kids do not get enough sleep, or they sleep late, and when they arrive

at the center, they don’t respond appropriately and start distracting their peers. They thus start to show aggressive

behaviors.

Amal mentioned aggressiveness as the most common inappropriate behavior she witnessed among students with

autism. She realized that such students might start acting out when they fail to communicate their needs.



Manar and Abdual had a different interpretation of what caused problem behaviors among such students—transition

issues or trouble accepting sudden changes in their routine. Manar discussed how the transition from home to school

influenced student behaviors and feelings:

Kids are sitting on their chairs inside the classroom, and they are not aware why they are in a classroom or at school,

especially when they have recently transitioned from home to school. So, they may react negatively toward

themselves or others, because they are scared or uncomfortable being in a place that is different from their homes.

Abdual explained some of the transition issues and unpredictable changes that were difficult for students with autism

to accept: “If there is a new teacher, these students will not easily accept this change. Or if we have to change their

classroom...” Students with autism are facing difficulty transitioning from one activity to another during a school day.

This is consistent with what Hume et al. (2014) found regarding how such students struggle when they transition

from one activity to another and from one setting to another within their home, school, workplace, and community.

Moreover, Reham believed that the sensory sensitivity many students with autism have might cause them to exhibit

inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. She described how having high sensory sensitivity may push some of them

to cry or yell to express their discomfort. The majority of resources that discussed ASD symptoms stated that sensory

sensitivity is not a core symptom, but it could be a common issue among some individuals with autism (Speaks, 2021;

CFAR, 2021). However, the researcher believes that teachers may be able to control some of the potential output in

the classroom environment that may trigger students’ sensitivities, which may prevent problem behaviors from

occurring and, therefore, create a comfortable classroom environment for the students, peers, and teachers.

5.1.2 Current Management Strategies

Teachers have a responsibility to manage problem student behaviors in the classroom. The study participants

reported that they use behavior management strategies to deal with such behaviors. These strategies include ignoring,

modeling, and verbal prompts. Teachers tend to model the skills by verbalizing their thinking at each step to help

students follow, and provide physical assistance along with it if needed. For example, Manar said that she often uses

a modeling strategy to manage problem student behaviors: “I use modeling to inform the kids about the problem. If I

find the cause of each problem, it would be easy to deal with them.” This is consistent with what Khaleel (2019)

found that modeling was the most significant ABA practices that special education teacher’s favor.

Finding out the trigger causing a problem behavior for help in fixing it is a very important piece of information that

Manar shared. When a teacher is able to determine the function of problem behaviors, it will save time and effort in

developing strategies to prevent a problem behavior from occurring. Interestingly, Khaleel (2019) found that female

teachers were highly rating the significant of collecting data on a student problem behavior, despite; gender was not a

major focus in this study.

However, some of the participants tended to use punishment as the first management strategy. Abdual mentioned that

he used two strategies for most problem behaviors students exhibited in the classroom, adding that these work most

of the time: “I usually follow two procedures: 1) take off a token and 2) send the child to the thinking area. Guess

what? They work most of the time and prevent problem student behaviors.” Abdual used what is called punishment

strategies based on ABA, and these proved to be less effective than those the other participants tended to use, such as

modeling and verbal prompts. In fact, Khaleel (2019) found that male teachers tend to favor punishment strategies

more than female teachers. On the other hand, a pattern emerged across participants where they all agreed that ABA

strategies were effective for managing problem behaviors in students with autism. Moreover, Reham and Ahmad

agreed that the majority of teachers they worked with used punishment as the main strategy to manage problem

student behaviors.

Generally, it is often recommended to begin with a number of reinforcing strategies before resorting to punishment,

and a punishment strategy should only be employed in specific situations while considering particular standards

(Cooper et al., 2020). The predicted lack of knowledge about effective behavior management strategies appeared to

push the participants to use punishment as the first and an easy strategy to manage similar cases. Thus, to answer the

first research question based on the data provided, the participants described teaching students with autism as a

difficult process due to lack of practical knowledge. Also, they tended to employ less effective behavioral

interventions to manage problem student behaviors.

5.2 Research Question 2: Other Factors That Influence Problem Behaviors

The participants agreed that there are other factors not related to student cognitive processes that may influence their

behavior in the classroom. An unorganized classroom environment may influence some students to exhibit

inappropriate behavior. Amal and Reham discussed the influence of classroom organization, which showed the



relationship between environmental factors and student behaviors. In fact, Amal acknowledged, “The classroom

structure and organization can affect student behaviors. For example, the autism classroom should be free of

distracting materials because kids with autism can get distracted easily by many objects around them.”

Other participants mentioned other factors such as teacher preparation and classroom preparation, classroom location,

and having visitors in the classroom. Also, transition issues and unpredictable changes discussed earlier (Hume et al.,

2014) were the other environmental factors negatively impacting student behaviors; however, the participants

described some environmental factors that helped students maintain appropriate behaviors in the classroom,

including following a consistent daily schedule, dividing students into groups based on similar needs, and providing

students with certain non-challenging responsibilities. When teachers are able to identify potential relationships

between environmental factors and student behaviors, it can strengthen their behavior management skills—the

researcher assumes that determining these relationships could possibly help teachers predict what may cause students

to act out and then manipulate the classroom environment, to reduce problem student behaviors.

5.3 Research Question 3: ABA

ABA refers to scientific practices to study the behaviors of humans and animals by paying careful attention to the

social validity of concerns in addressed and related outcomes (Wolf, 1978). Studies have reported about teachers’

lack of knowledge of ABA (Alotaibi, 2015; Haimour & Obaidat, 2013; Westling, 2010). In this study, the participants

said that they had some knowledge of ABA. Reham and Ahmad mentioned that they are conducting other programs

rather than ABA, such as APPLE, HELP_POP, and Lovaas, which were recommended by their school district. There

was not sufficient information about APPLE and HELP-POP in both Arabic and English languages, but the

participants claimed that these were associated with some of the ABA principles. Only Lovaas uses discrete trials

training, which is considered an ABA strategy (Cooper et al., 2020; Lovaas, 1987). The researcher assumes that use

of one ABA strategy is not sufficient to judge a program’s effectiveness.

Abdual and Amal said that they have been employing ABA strategies on a daily basis. For example, Abdual provided

a description that was very similar to ABA strategies: “I think we need to observe the behavior, and then, we start

drawing a baseline.” He briefly described a routine procedure, which is representative of an essential part of ABA.

According to Wolf (1978), ABA refers to scientific practices that include data collection, observations, and

evaluation of the implemented strategy. This indicates that Abdual probably has some basic knowledge of ABA. Also,

Amal described ABA as a way to change a student’s behaviors: “If there is a behavior we want to change, we need to

work on it once or longer until it has changed. We need to give the child a chance to fix that behavior.”

Though both Abdual and Amal displayed a little knowledge of ABA, theirs is considered an insufficient description

of it. On the other hand, Manar made the association between the success of ABA strategies and time spent: “I taught

him [a student with autism] many skills such as living skills, independent living skills, and how to take care of

himself. After spending a certain number of hours, I saw an improvement in him. The more time I spent with him,

the more improvement I saw.”

However, more is needed than solely spending more time with students to achieve certain goals. Each intervention

should be structured to address specific student needs and expectations. Regarding time, research shows that an

estimated 10 to 15 intervention hours per week are needed with a child for noticeable improvement (Lovaas, 1987).

A pattern detected across participants showed that they did not feel sufficiently prepared to implement ABA

strategies, and that they were seeking more professional development. This pattern was also seen in participant

responses reporting that their colleagues were not prepared to implement ABA strategies. Most of the responses

indicated that the participants had misconceptions about ABA strategies and needed additional training in this area.

For example, Abdual said, “I would not try to implement an ABA strategy with little knowledge of this field.” Manar

mentioned, “I’m not really good at it,” regarding her preparedness to implement ABA strategies.

During the interviews, the researcher asked the participants how they learned about ABA, and all said that they had

taken it as a college course that focused primarily on behavior management. For example, Manar described her

experience of learning about ABA in college, saying she has had more opportunity to practice since starting this job:

“I learned about ABA in college, but it was dry knowledge. I’ve started practicing some ABA strategies now with my

students.” She as well as the other participants indicated that learning about ABA in college was not sufficient, and

that in-service training was required—Abdual, for example, insisted that it was necessary to gain more professional

development support:

We do lack information and, for sure, need direct training (live training) in the classroom to be able to practice and

master ABA strategies. Eventually, we need an actual opportunity... not simply receive auditory information. Google



is filled with written information, and we need someone who is a specialist to direct us in real situations.

Some school districts offer workshops for teachers in behavior management strategies including those of ABA;

however, Amal, Abdul, Reham, and Ahmad mentioned that most workshops are given by presenters neither

specialized in special education nor in ABA or related fields. They said that they did not fully benefit from such

workshops, and felt unprepared to confidently implement ABA strategies.

These findings answer the third research question—special education teachers in Saudi Arabia consider ABA

strategies effective for behavior management of students with autism. However, teachers are lacking in ABA

knowledge, and hence, seeking professional development training. This supports results of other studies showing that

ABA strategies have strong empirical efficacy (Lindgren & Doobay, 2011), and that special education teachers have

insufficient skills and experiences to confidently implement ABA strategies (Kacurovski, 2009; Khaleel, 2019).

Some special education teachers may hear about ABA, but they do not have practical experience of it in a

professional setting, and this creates a gap between research and practice (Burns & Ysseldyke, 2008). Teachers

realize the need for more professional development training, and the participants of this study clarified that abstract

information provided in lectures or workshops was not sufficient to master behavior management strategies like

those of ABA.

5.4 Research Question 4: Teachers’ Support and Suggestions

Special education teachers who have over three years of experience teaching students with autism are considered a

rich resource of information effecting improvements in the education system for both teachers and students. Thus,

the researcher decided to ask the participants this research question at the end of the study, to help them develop an

idea about what the interview was mainly about, and then, to obtain relatively significant details. Besides asking

them for suggestions, the researcher also asked them about their needs to support their knowledge and skills.

Earlier, the participants had admitted the effectiveness of ABA strategies, and suggested that they should receive

professional ABA training. Abdual pointed out, “If we are able to manage a student’s problem behavior using ABA,

other issues would be easy.” To clarify his statement, his intended meaning was that if the teacher is able to manage

problem student behaviors using ABA strategies, he/she would be able to solve other behavioral or teaching issues

with minimum effort. This supports the findings discussing how challenging behaviors disrupt the learning process

and put severe pressure on teachers (Westling, 2010), insisting the need of training teachers on ABA practices

(Khaleel, 2019). Thus, special education teachers need to be adequately prepared to manage students’ problem

behaviors through practices such as ABA.

Teachers need available resources to provide them with more information to improve their professional skills. Abdual

said that teachers need to have access to a professional program: “Teachers need access to other resources of

information, such as the Alternative Communication Program, PECS—The Picture Exchange Communication

System.” These may provide teachers with guidelines on how to assess, teach, and communicate with students with

autism, thus benefiting both teachers and students. Students with autism often have communication issues that lead

to problem behaviors. Communication programs preempt such behaviors by providing a way to ensure that students’

needs are met (Cafiero & Meyer, 2008). One of the benefits of using these educational programs, PECS for instance,

is facilitating communication between students and teachers—successful communication helps reduce the problem

behaviors students exhibit when they feel they are unable to communicate and express their needs. Also, reducing

problem behaviors has positive effects by reducing the stress on teachers and peers in the classroom. This is

consistent with the findings of Westling (2010), who highlighted that students exhibiting problem behaviors in the

classroom disrupted the learning process and put severe pressure on teachers and peers.

6. Conclusion

This study contributes valuable information to fill the gap highlighted in the literature review, especially in Saudi

Arabia, where special education is still developing. Few studies have evaluated teachers’ knowledge of behavior

management strategies using specific questionnaires (Burns & Ysseldyke, 2008; Gresham et al., 2004; Kacurovski,

2009; Schloss & Smith, 1998; Westling, 2010), while this study presented real experiences informed directly by

teachers. Findings from this study may allow teachers, administrators, and others interested in special education to

offer additional opportunities to train teachers to effectively manage problem behaviors in students with autism. A

deeper understanding of teacher perspectives of such behaviors may provide administrators with valuable

information as well as knowledge on the support teachers need. The findings may also allow administrators to

consider greater inclusion of the families of students with autism in working with teachers to achieve successful



behavioral plans.

The final research question asked the participants to provide suggestions for other special education teachers. Their

valuable suggestions included facilitating more access to available resources for teachers and providing additional

learning opportunities for professional development. For example, all participants agreed that they needed support to

effectively employ ABA and other behavior management strategies with students with autism. These suggestions

may improve special education by creating comfortable learning environments for both teachers and students.

6.1 Limitations

In terms of limitations, the participants declared that they did not have English proficiency, and thus, they were

interviewed in their first language, Arabic. The researcher and another specialist then translated the transcripts. There

are concerns regarding the translation, about it possibly changing the essential meaning of the participants’ words. In

addition, interviewing participants via a phone call might result the absence of facial cues in messages, which leads

to misunderstanding. The participants, however, were provided with a copy of their transcribed interview to confirm

their responses. The sample size was limited in the study. However, the researcher investigated three participants in

the first phase, until the collected data reached saturation after added two more participants. Thus, the purpose of this

case qualitative study is providing in-depth explanations of a particular practice rather than generalizing findings.

6.2 Implications and Directions for Future Research

This study highlighted some of special education teachers’ professional needs to effectively manage problem

behaviors of students with autism. Future studies should determine the quantity and quality of the support needed.

They should also focus on preparing educators with evidence-based practices to manage students’ behavioral issues,

such as ABA. Current educators are in significant need of professional development to improve their skills.

Acknowledgment

The author extend her appreciation to the deputyship for Research & Innovation, Ministry of Education in Saudi

Arabia for funding this research work through the project number (IFP-2020-19)

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Appendix A

Table 2. Codebook

Categories Code examples Sub-code 1 Sub-code 2 Number of responses

Describing Teaching

Students with Autism

- Easy for well-trained teachers

- Hard, and it needs experience

Preparation 5

- Believing in students’ abilities

- Needs patience and dedication

Beliefs 2

Describing Problem

Behaviors

- Exhibiting inappropriate

behaviors

5

Other Factors that

Influence Problem

Behaviors

- Teachers’ preparation

- Classroom preparation

Environmental

factors

4

Current Management

Strategies

- Molding

- Ignoring

- Verbal prompts

Behavioral/

Teaching

Learned

strategies

5

Colleagues’

strategies

Essential Elements for

Successful Behavioral

Interventions

- Identifying problem behaviors Educational

procedures

Teaching

procedures

5

- Working collaboratively with

teachers

- Inactive parents

Parents’

involvement

Applied Behavior

Analysis (ABA)

- Observing and monitoring the

problem behavior

- Task analysis

Description Teachers’

preparation

2

Teachers’ Support and

Suggestions

- Effective communication skills Teachers’

satisfaction

5 - Access to more educational

programs

- Increasing professional

development opportunities for

teachers

Teachers’ needs Resources

available

*Numbers 1–4 indicate themes, defined based on the research questions: 1- Teachers’ description of teaching

students with autism, 2- Teachers’ description of other factors that may influence behaviors of students with autism,

3- Teachers’ description of the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) practice, and 4- Teachers’ suggestions.



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